M.Y.X. @ Six

Week 3 -Living Today with Hope for Eternity

“A thief comes to steal, kill and destroy;  I came [Jesus] so they can have real eternal life, a better life than you’ve ever dreamed of.” John 10:10

The ordinary “life” the world offers. What it offers, and how it leaves us empty:

1. Pain (Relational, depression, addiction, for example)- “Will I always be surrounded by pain?”

2. Hate (Bitterness, envy, for example) – “Can’t somebody love me as I am?”

3. Temporary Happiness (infatuation, alcohol, drugs, for example) – “Why can’t it last?”

4. Despair (not being happy where you are) – “Is there anything better than this?”

BIG IDEA: The world is imperfect so this is all it has to offer. This life is temporary, so is everything it has to offer!

The rescued life God offers:

1. Freedom – “I want you to feel different.”

Ephesians tells us that our freedom was purchased through the blood of Christ.

2. Love – “You can never escape my love.”

Romans 8: 35-29 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? For I am convinced that neither death nor life…nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. Joy – “My presence will fill you up.”

This is not based on temporary circumstances but is lasting and from God.

4. Hope – “You will spend eternity with me.”

You have something to look forward to, if you’re a Christian, and that is a future/eternity in heaven.

BIG IDEA: Where will I spend eternity? Where will others in my life?

Responding to the rescue:

Acknowledge the rescue.

Appreciate the rescuer.

Announce the rescuer to others.

If you were rescued from drowning, in the ocean or a pool or a lake, by someone, would you easily forget that event? If someone pulled you up out of the water, so you could breathe, to free you from a life & death situation, would you be retelling the story to everyone you know? Heaping praise and thanks on the person who saved your life and gave you hope that you could keep living?

Making a decision to turn your life over to Christ is a life & death situation….this life is temporary, and we all have the same physical end…but what about the hope of eternity with the greatest Savior and Rescuer of all? Do you have this? Does your best friend, sister, neighbor or dad?

Let God rescue you from an ordinary life!

Week 2 -When God Came Near

John 10:10

The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I came {Jesus} so they can have real eternal life, a better life than you’ve ever dreamed of.

Why Jesus came to earth…

1. To restore you to God. We are all created to have a relationship with God. Romans 5 tells how, through Jesus, we have been made friends with God.

2. To reveal God’s character. Colossians 1 says that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.

3. To rescue you and I from an ordinary life. He sets us free, delivers us from confinement, from violence or evil. As Galatians 1:4 says, “He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.”

Ordinary living misses…

1. God’s personal presence. Ephesians 3:12 tells us we can come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome.

2. God’s promise of wisdom, or unusual insight to every day life. Scripture tells us that if we need wisdom, if you want to know what God wants you to do, to ask him! James 1:5 says God will gladly tell us, and not resent our asking.

3. God’s power to use you. Ordinary people are used by God for extraordinary purposes. In Ephesians 3:16 explains that God has glorious and unlimited resources. And through his Holy Spirit, we can take part!

Live beyond the ordinary…

1. Commit to live God’s way, not your way.

2. Commit to look for God’s work.

3. Commit to spend time with God. The Bible says to pray without ceasing.

How can you commit to live God’s way? By committing to look for His work. What is God’s work? Commit to spending time with Him, and He will show you. Praying without ceasing? Be constantly aware of your Creator, and take moments throughout the day to acknowledge Him, to praise Him, to thank Him, and to ask Him for wisdom. And you’ll know then that God came near.

Watch Out for the Thief

“A thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I came so they can have real eternal life, a better life that you’ve ever dreamed of.” John 10:10

The thief is the devil, the enemy of  God. He is always in pursuit of knocking you off course, off God’s path for your life. As a thief often does, Satan comes in disguise, using deceit and manipulation to get his way. He usually portrays it as something to benefit you, but his only goal is to steal, kill and destroy. Fortunately, Jesus came. Christ offers us life; he gives, lives and loves.

There are 3 types of people, all potential victims of the enemy. You are either:

SOLD OUT : A consistent Christian, a disciple of Christ. Obvious who you’re living your life for. And the thief wants to STEAL your JOY. This is joy, not happiness and isn’t dependent on circumstance.

STUMBLER: An inconsistent Christian. You’ve acknowledged Christ as your Savior, but are not living it out consistently. You haven’t completely let go of your old self, or keep stumbling back over old struggles. The thief wants to KILL your WITNESS. Happens a lot in younger years when we fall into the temptations of alcohol, drugs, hanging out with a certain type of person – the thief uses these things to give others the opportunity to say “But I thought you were a Christian…”

SEEKER: You are not yet a Christian yet. You’ve heard of Jesus and God. Maybe even believe that God exists. But you haven’t turned over your live to the Lord, you haven’t accepted the free gift of salvation. The thief wants to DESTROY your LIFE. He wants to blind you to the things of God so that you never make the life-altering decision to follow Jesus the rest of your life.

God’s door to life:

Matthew 7:13 says “You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way.

The enemy’s door to life:

2 Corinthians 4:4 says ” Stan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the good news that is shining upon them. They don’t understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Satan camouflages his ways to make them look good so you take a bite…you’re then hooked and regret follows when his ways inevitably let you down. God’s path is narrow, yes, but available to all; He is the creator of the universe and his way is glorious and good.

The rescue by God begins when:

1. You recognize your need to be saved. You ask Jesus to take over your life.

Romans 10:9 Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

2. You acknowledge the thief’s temptations. Jesus did this; He was tempted and didn’t succumb to the temptation.

Hebrews 2: 18 He himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.

3. You depend of God’s strength. You can’t do it yourself, but God can do it through you.

Psalm 118:13  You did your best to kill me, O my enemy, but the Lord helped me.

We can move past the ordinary by:

Identifying the thief’s role.

Taking it personally.

Battling the enemy with you life.

SOLD OUT : LIVE IT UP! Exhibit your joy, celebrate God, serve, love, share it!

STUMBLER: BEAT TEMPTATION! Don’t give in, find the way out (through Christ)

SEEKER: PURSUE GOD’S WAYS! Find the truth, see if He is who He says He is. And grab the life preserver and let God rescue you!

Be encouraged to know that God is there with you, and you cannot escape His love.

The enemy runs at the sound of your voice. When you stand up, the nations flee!          Isaiah 33:3

Servanthood: The Great Gamble

Indulgence is popular in our culture. Any ads or commercials encourage the biggest, best, newest…or in the case of technology, the smallest, fastest and newest. When we pursue the stuff, stuff we want rather than need, we start focusing on ourselves. And we begin centering our life on what we want, on ourselves. Eventually we have to ask ourselves this question: Will I serve Jesus and serve as He did, or will I be limited by self-centeredness?

So often we have the attitude of only doing things that provide a benefit to us. In Matthew 19:27, Peter says to Jesus “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
It is not easy to follow Christ, but it is definitely worth it – this from Jesus himself!

Jesus tells us another story to paint us a picture of something He wants us to understand. He explains things to us in John 13:12-17:

“So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

Jesus keeps things simple for us. When nobody else would wash the disciples feet, as would normally happen before a meal, Jesus saw something that needed to be done, a need to meet, and stepped up to do it. Then He asks the disciples if they know what He has done. He tells them they are knowledgeable first that they understand that He is indeed their Lord and Teacher. Then He tells them that because He first washed their feet, they then should wash each other’s feet. He uses the story as an example that we should do what Jesus did. He reminds us again that the slave is not greater than his master, nor is Jesus greater than God. Finally, he tells us that if we know these things, and do them, that we will be blessed.

In Luke 9:23 Jesus says we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow him. First we must deny ourselves and go against our cultural norms where it’s all about me! Then Jesus says we have to take up our cross daily; in other words, commit ourselves daily to Christ. Finally, we have to follow Him. We’re back to the beginning question. Ask yourself: Will I serve Jesus and serve as Jesus did? Or will I be limited by self-centeredness? If we follow Christ’s example from the story and imitate Him by washing each other’s feet, if that is the need to be met, we are serving Jesus and serving like He did. The needs could be feeding the hungry, hugging the unloved, or just being obedient to an adult. However, if we focus on ourselves, satisfying our wants and ignoring the needs of others, we will be limited in our lives because we are being self-centered. So instead, let’s model Jesus with reckless abandon!

Challenge: THE GREAT GAMBLE

Be ready to serve. Test God’s promise that if we know the things Jesus commands/does, and do them, that we will be blessed. For the month of November, take every opportunity to serve God and others even if it seems small and insignificant. Keep your servants towel handy and be ready to wash feet. And monitor your heart: Am I gaining or losing?

Examples of serving others:
Clean up the lunchroom after lunch at school.
Clear your friends trash from the lunch table for them.
Help someone carrying a lot of stuff by lightening their load.
Offer a ride to someone.
Make an effort to be the one to always open the door for others.
Donate clothes that are too small to someone in need (Goodwill, family affected by fire, clothes bank of Elkhorn Association).
Volunteer to do someone else’s chores at your house.
Help out with meals, with permission.
Help out an elderly person with chores, or just visit. Same with a new mom, single parent, etc.
Volunteer at a charity (God’s Pantry, Salvation Army, All God’s Children, The Refuge Clinic)
Volunteer at church for setting up for events, cleaning, etc.

Posted by Morgan Cooper